Community to Benefit from New Regional Healthcare Delivery System

September 11, 2013

Growth of patient service lines expected across the region

Danville Regional Medical Center (DRMC) and Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County (MHMHC) today announced plans to create a regional healthcare delivery system with two campuses – one in Danville and one in Martinsville.

“Significant changes are occurring in the healthcare industry, with more on the horizon,” said Eric Deaton, DRMC Chief Executive Officer (CEO). “By operating as a regional healthcare delivery system, our hospitals will be in a stronger position to provide comprehensive services across the region, be more efficient and better able to dedicate our resources to what we do best – delivering high quality patient care close to home.”

New regional appointments were also announced, with Deaton being promoted to South Central Virginia Market President. In this position, Deaton will have regional oversight for both hospital campuses and will remain the CEO at DRMC. In addition, a national search is being conducted to fill the position of DRMC Chief Operating Officer (COO). Dr. Saria Saccocio, DRMC Chief Medical Officer (CMO), has been appointed Market CMO. Dr. Saccocio will focus on developing clinical integrations and patient centered medical home initiatives for the region. Additionally, Skip Philips, CEO at MHMHC, will continue to hold the lead position at the hospital and will expand his role to include focusing on regional operations.

“Danville Regional and Memorial Hospital already enjoy strong working relationships,” said Philips. “Collaborating to create a new regional healthcare delivery system will allow us to continue to grow and succeed in a rapidly changing healthcare environment, while improving and growing patient services for our community.” Coordination of roles is currently underway in several additional organizational areas, including senior management, finance, human resources, business development, physician services, marketing and branding. One immediate benefit of the collaboration will be improved operational effectiveness resulting from scale and shared resources and capabilities. For example DRMC and Duke Medicine have enjoyed successful collaboration for more than 10 years. This collaboration will now be extended to the Martinsville and Henry County area.

“As with any decision, we considered how creating a regional healthcare delivery system would help us to better serve our patients, while ultimately achieving our mission, vision and values,” said Deaton. “This collaboration will allow our hospitals to realize significant benefits, including growth of service lines across the region, improved operational effectiveness and continued financial strength and success in the future. We believe it will lead to a healthier future for our community.”

About Danville Regional Medical Center
Danville Regional is the leading medical center in the Dan River Region of Virginia and North Carolina providing open heart surgery, spinal surgery and advanced cancer treatment. Approximately 160 physicians are on the medical staff. The medical center employs approximately 1,300 people. For more information, visit the Danville Regional Medical Center website.

About Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County
Memorial Hospital has been at the heart of the Martinsville and Henry County Community and the surrounding area providing exceptional healthcare and services to the region with a full range of services including 24/7 Emergency Care, Inpatient/Outpatient Surgical Services, Advanced Cancer Treatment, Wound/Hyperbaric Care, Women and Children Services, Diagnostics, Cardiology, Rehabilitation, Sleep Disorder, and Pain Management. More than 120 physicians are on the medical staff. The hospital employs more than 850 people and has more than 100 volunteers.